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Environmental Quality Mark Application

What is the Environmental Quality Mark (EQM)?

For Businesses:

It’s an award scheme that celebrates your passion for your place and the way you share that passion with your customers. It shows that you’re proud of your place and your business and that you are doing your best to reduce your impact on the environment. It gives you the tools to make you more profitable and gives you a supportive network of like-minded people.

For Destinations and Organisations:

It’s a tried and tested award scheme for business that supports business growth, develops a network of ambassadors for your brand and becomes a robust and self sustaining tool to boost pride in place and reduce the environmental impact of business.

The well developed, web-based EQM process can be customised for your area or organisation. Its based on:

Your brand

Your valued characteristics

Your distinctive differences

EQM CIC

The Environmental Quality Mark is delivered by The Environmental Quality Mark Community Interest Company (EQM CIC)

The EQM CIC is a ‘not for profit' company, set up to run the scheme on a commercial basis as a social enterprise. Director Faith Johnson comments;

"Through our experience, we know the Environmental Quality Mark is an effective way of the business helping the customer discover a more authentic and meaningful experience and therefore more brand loyalty. When assessing Environmental Quality Mark businesses we find truly passionate people with a real pride in place. They love to share everything that is special about their place with their customer.”

The Peak District National Park Authority is providing invaluable support and working with us to protect and enhance the values associated with this scheme.

The scheme is also validated by VisitEngland, which means we have undergone a rigorous verification process to ensure that we operate to high standards, the EQM is ‘fit for purpose' and that claims of sustainability and environmental friendliness made by award holders are genuine.

The Directors

Faith Johnson

Faith has a background in environmental management and now focuses on supporting and mentoring small businesses to improve their environmental performance and sustainability. She is particularly interested in farming methods that balance food production with conservation and carbon management. She lives on a working upland beef cattle farm in the Peak District and has a small flock of Whitefaced Woodland sheep of her own.

Martin Hofman

Martin moved to Derbyshire
in 2007 and runs EQM award holder Wheeldon Trees Farm Holiday Cottages,
south of Buxton, with his wife. He is particularly interested in the
challenges presented by preserving the countryside at the same time as
maintaining and developing a vibrant local economy.

Simon Smith

Simon lives on the borders of South Staffordshire and has a background in providing advice to businesses in the tourism sector. He has worked for several years all over the county, formerly as an adviser for Business Link and subsequently in membership and business development for Destination Staffordshire. He is now Project Officer for the Staffordshire EQM and is keen to help Staffordshire businesses reduce their environmental impact and costs through the EQM process.

REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS

PEAK DISTRICT EQM

STAFFORDSHIRE EQM

"We found it thought provoking- it got us to reassess things we haven't looked at for a while. E.g. it spurred me on to tidy up bits of the farm I’ve been meaning to get to, like our nature trail"

Marshall Waller, Blaze Farm

"The examples in the online guidance were clear and allowed me to easily complete the application within a few hours. The guidance uses real life examples from EQM award holders, so it was a great opportunity to learn from other successful businesses.”

Margie Stucky, Brough Lea Farm- Peak Yarns & Fibres

"I've always striven to be as environmental as I possibly can be, but the EQM has made me re-visit my practices to ensure that I'm doing all I can to protect the environment and question whether I can improve. The action planning section is so useful to record future ideas that present themselves while completing the online form. All in all it's been a very positive experience."